Did you know unhappy cows produce less milk?"So what?" you might say. Well as it turns out people aren't so different. There's a definite link between productivity and the level of happiness among a company's employees.More companies and managers are finally acknowledging the link between productivity and a worker's emotional state.And more managers are also busy at work applying a relatively new body of scientific knowledge referred to as "emotional intelligence" in order to wring more productivity from workers. Yet, there's a bigger picture than just focusing on the latest fad in motivational carrots. A better understanding of intrinsic motivational factors could actually transform the workplace as we know it.One U.K. researcher says "a lot of thinking in management used to be that managers should remove emotion from the equation." Daniel Weary has been studying how moods and emotional responses impact employee performance over time. The relatively new field is growing quickly, fueled by a quest for greater productivity. More managers are seeing the link between emotional intelligence and productivity as a worthy goal to pursue. It's a field that's worth a second look.The concept of "Attunement" in the work place between managers and employees is a timely one for younger workers reared in the era of personal empowerment. In fact, Weary, a Canadian biologist, notes that there are people with this sense, "who read emotions."Today the majority of employees still see emotional displays as an interruption to an orderly workflow. But what if the interruptions were just another form of intelligence that could yield a tremendous payoff in productivity? It's worth taking a second look!
